Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-19
TRAIN ROBBERS
Loot the ast.BOund Cal
ifOrnia Express.
NO CLUE no THEIR IDENTITY.
The Bandit Captain Carries a Stick
OF Candy in One Hand and q
Revolver i'm the Other.

heV0lvef In the Other.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
GALVESTON (Tex.l June lS.-A re-
port has reached here that the East
bound California express on the South
ern Pacific railroad was robbed at 3A.
M, near Flatonia, about ninety miles
east OF San Antonio. The express car
was robbed but nobody killed. 1t is
rumored that the robbers secured
$75, 900.
HOW THEY DID 1T.
As the train drew up at the station
two men with drawn revolvers, mounted
the engine, covered the engineer, and
forced him to pull the train to the open
prairie where there were eight or ten
men armed with Winchester rifles. The
two robbers on the engine stood guard
over the man at the throttle, while the
others went through the mail, express
and passenger cars. Nearly all the
passengers were asleep and even un.
aware of what was going on until
they were aroused by the robbers.
| BIG HAUL.
All the passengers were relieved of
their valuables, and it is difficult to form
any estimate of the money and iewelry
secured. 1t is reckoned at about 5000.
The express car and mail pouches were
also gone through, but the amount OF
money taken is unknown. The total
amount secured is now placed at $40, 600.
The whole country is aroused. Several
posses have gone in search of the rob-
bers.
DETECTIVES AT WORK.
| San FRANCISCO. June IS.-Detective
Hume, of the Wells-Fargo detective
agency, received dispatch from Fla
tania, Tex, this morning. confirming
the fact that Southern Pacific train No.
10, east bound, was stopped by a party,
and that Wells, Fargo & Co.'S treasure
box was robbed of about $500. The
desperadoes also rifled the United
States mails and went through the train,
compelling the passengers to give up
their money and valuables. Detective
Thacker, who is in Arizona trying
to apprehend the gang that robbed
the Southern Pacific train at Papago,
on April 9th, has been ordered to
Flatonia at once. 81 shall leave for the
scene tomorrow morning." said Hume.
"They are getting pretty lively in Texas
now, for the reason that they have good
trains to work on and the best country
on the continent in which to escape,
owing to the sparseness of population.
There have been four trains robbed down
in that direction since the 9th of April,
when they made the cleanup at Papsgo.
The second one was on May 18th, eleven
miles west of Fort Worth, on the Texas
Pacific Railroad. On June 4th they
robbed train at McNeill's Station, ON
| the Missouri Pacific, at which time il is
estimated that they took between S20,-
600 and $4,000"
FIENDIsH ATROCITIES.
FLAToNIA, Julne lS.-The Sheriff
arrived in Galveston this morning. He
says there were IL robbers in the party
and that when they entered the express
Messenger Frank Folger seeing them
coming threw away the keys to his safe.
This enraged the desperadoes and two of
them wreaked their vengeance on him
by beating him over the head with their
revolvers and cruelty splitting his ears
/ with pocket knives. The messenger was
badly used up. The robbers finally
recovered the keys and succeeded in
opening the safe, How much money was
fcund is mere matter of conjecture,
but it 10 stated that the safe contained
$4,000. After going through the ex.
press and mail cars, the robbers
turned their attention to the passengers,
none Of whom were overlooked or
slighted, even the newsboy being
robbed of his nickels. One old gentleman,
who was sleeping, was awakened
and reaching under tine pillow for his
valuables, was struck senseless by pis-
tol in the hands of the robbers, who then
secured from under the pillow a well
filled purse. The Sheriff says that while
the robbers were going through the for
ward carsthe colored porter extinguished
all the lights in the sleeper; but it was
useless, as when the robbers entered the
sleeper they compelled the brakemen to
go ahead with lantern and stop at
every berth.
WANTED TO RESIST.
Col. Quintos, of the Mexican Army,
was among the passengers, accompanied
by young lieutenant. When he
learned that the train was being robbed,
he called to his lieutenant to bring him
his pistol quick and he would kill all
the robbers. Mrs. White, the sheriff-s
wife, who understands Spanish, imme.
diately cried out to the Colonel telling
him if he valued his life to remain in
and give up his money as the robbers
had every advantage.
| A COOL RASCAL.
A few moments afterwards the rob-
bers came along with brakeman carry
ing lantern. One of the gang pulled
the curtain back exposing the Mexican
officer to the gaze of Capt. Dick, the
leader of the gang, who was compla-
Gently sucking huge stick of candy in
his left hand, while the other hand
covered the Mexican with a big six
shooter. When the bandit captain saw
the Mexican he told him to disgorge,
remarking by way OF emphasis that he
would as soon kill a greaser as eat bis
breakfast. The officer reluctantly hand.
ed over $400. Several drummers from
New York and Galveston houses were in
the sleeper and were all robbed, nearly
every one receiving brutal treatment.
A Rich widow